On this episode of the critical our Dr. Wilmer Leon is joined by Ricardo Vaz, writer and editor for Venezuelananalysis.com; and Teri Mattson, with The Campaign To End US and Canadian Sanctions Against Venezuela.

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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo opens up about the Venezuelan opposition, saying keeping it united "has proven devilishly difficult," while opposition leader Juan Guaidó has been seizing control of state assets to starve the government of funding. The saga in Venezuela continues, even though it's not on the front pages of American media. During a closed-door meeting in New York City last week with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Pompeo spoke honestly about the challenges the Trump administration is facing in its attempts to overthrow the democratically elected president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro. The US narrative has been that the opposition is strong, united and legitimate.

Speaking Thursday ahead of his trip to Normandy, France, US President Donald Trump said he had made clear to Mexico that he was prepared to follow through on his threat to levy 5% tariffs on Mexican exports starting June 10, rising to 25% by October. But he added: "We're having a great talk with Mexico... something pretty dramatic could happen." This was a marked change of tone from Wednesday night, when he tweeted that "not nearly enough" progress had been made. I've been asking: is the threat of further tariffs a negotiating ploy? All of this while the New York Times on Thursday published an analysis titled "Which States Will Be Hit Hardest by Trump's Tariffs on Mexico."

In his recent MintPress News article, "Following US Lead on Assange, Australia Goes on Assault Spree Against Free Press," Alex Rubinstein says, "The current Australian crackdown follows the example of the United States in its charges against and attempt to extradite Julian Assange. Since the United States charged journalist Julian Assange with 17 counts of Espionage Act violations — charges that could see Assange facing the death penalty — Australia appears to be following America's lead and cracking down on free press, particularly journalists and publications that publish government secrets." What's really going on here?

GUESTS:

Ricardo Vaz — Writer and editor at Venezuelanalysis.com.

Teri Mattson — Activist with the Campaign to End US and Canadian Sanctions Against Venezuela.

Linwood Tauheed — Associate professor of economics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

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